Amid continuing global warming, North Korea has seen its temperatures rise two to three times faster than the world average for the 20th century.

North Korean official Ryu Ki-ryol, who heads his country's central weather agency, said that warming around the North Pole has reduced the amount of icebergs and ice, posing a great threat to the ecosystem.

He added that North Korea urgently needs to conduct further meteorological research on the polar regions.